Picking Up The Pieces
by Stargate-Lover-Steph
Summary: Set at the end of the season five episode Black Run. Boyd gets a visitor after he returns to work.


London Challenge. One of them overhears something in a coffee shop. Must include the words star, bus, bicycle, tree and something silver. Set between the end of season four and the end of season seven.

Frankie sat with her coffee cup, her eyes unfocused as she was lost in thought. The past month and a half hadn't been easy, and everything still felt raw. Mel was gone, no amount of hoping, praying and wishful thinking could make that nightmare go away. She had been the one to tend to her body, to slowly pull the sheet back to reveal her body to her parents as the rest of the team stood shell-shocked just the other side of the plastic curtain divider. When the dust settled, the person responsible for Mel's death found, and the case closed Frankie had sat in her lab having no idea what to do, what to think or feel. She packed up the lab for the night and went home, sat drinking the bottle of vodka that Mel had bought her for her birthday and broke down. When she woke the next morning she was hungover as hell but she knew she couldn't stay with the cold case unit. The very thought of sitting in the lab, looking at the table Mel had been on, the fridge her cold still body had been stored in. She needed out, a fresh start from the memory of her friend's death. Which was where she was now, sat in the coffee shop just across from the university she had accepted a place at. The research wasn't perfect, but it wasn't a constant stream of dead bodies, a neverending need to find answers to how people died, why they died.

Placing her cup back on the table Frankie sat up, taking in the other people in the coffee shop. It was dinner time and as usual, the place was busy, a mix of students, teachers and other staff from the University. She tried to tune out the noise, the hustle and bustle she never had to deal with in her basement lab. As she picked her cup up again to take a drink she heard snippets of a conversation from the people sat behind her.

"What's the world coming to when a high ranking copper is getting done for hit and run. Bloody disgrace it is. The news said his name was Boyd, he ran some cold case unit apparently, solving murders from years ago that had been shelved."

The coffee that she was supposed to swallow was now down the front of her sweater as she spat it out on hearing Boyd's name mentioned.

"Shit." Frankie mumbled and she put the cup down and reached for some napkins to soak up the coffee on her sweater.

Looking at the clock on the wall she saw she only had five minutes of her lunch hour left, not enough time to do anything, call anyone. It would have to wait, he would have to wait. Picking up her coat and bag and she hurried out of the coffee shop and back to the research lab.

The day seemed to drag on after lunch. Her head was all over, and it showed. She was supposed to be reading a report that she gave up on after the fourth attempt. After reading the same line over and over she knew it was a waste of time. The tests she was supposed to be running would never have been done accurately so she so passed them over to one on her team, promising them she was giving them a special job to see how the managed. By three o'clock she shut herself away in her office and asked not to be disturbed. Once the door was shut and the silence surrounded her she slumped heavily in her chair and closed her eyes. She let her mind drift, let her thoughts take her back over the last four years, to that first meeting with Boyd when he asked her to join his team.

It was a warm summer day, the lab she was currently working in buzzing with the machines running tests on blood, hair and other contaminants found at the scene and the crime. She was busy looking over the results on her computer screen when she felt rather heard someone standing behind her. As she turned she was met by the midsection of man, his shirt tucked in the very expensive suit pants he was wearing. His tie didn't match the shirt he was wearing, but as she raised her eyes to look at his face she saw it did match his eyes, a dark shade of brown that seemed to be void of all emotions. He stared at her, looking her over as she watched him closely.

"Doctor Francis Warton?" He asked as she swallowed hard under his intense gaze.

"Yes." She managed to say past the lump that seems to have made her throat go dry.

"My name is Boyd, Detective chief inspector Peter Boyd. I run a cold case unit, we look into cases that have been shelved or couldn't be solved at the time." Boyd pausing as he watched Frankie absorb what he had said.

"Okay." Frankie having no idea what any of this could have to do with her but still looking at Boyd waiting to see if he elaborated any further.

"I'm looking for a pathologist to join my team, and your name has been mentioned a few times. You're a rising star in your field going on what I've been told." Smiling at Frankie when he saw her blush at his compliment.

Frankie could feel the heat in her cheeks rising. It wasn't often she got a compliment, let alone from a rather dashing detective chief inspector.

"What does the job entail? When would I start? What are the hours like?" Frankie's mouth moving faster than her brain as she felt herself blush again.

When Boyd started to laugh, she knew she was okay.

"If you're interested we can meet up one day next week for lunch. I can answer your questions more fully, and you can ask me any others you may have." Boyd smiling at Frankie when he saw her smile grow.

"Yeah, that's would be good." Frankie sliding off her stool so she was finally stood in front of Boyd.

"Good. How does Tuesday sound?" Boyd asking before he had mentally checked if he was free Tuesday at lunchtime.

"Yeah, Tuesday sounds good to me," Frankie replied as she looked up at Boyd.

He was tall, taller than her anyway and she had to tilt her head to look up at him properly. His eyes still seem so distant, so empty, yet he smiled warmly when she agreed.

"Good, I'll see you then." Boyd taking a step back so he could hold out his hand towards Frankie. After shaking hands he turned on his heels and walked away, leaving a still slightly dumbstruck Frankie to ponder her latest job offer.

When they met for lunch on Tuesday Boyd was ever the gentleman, helping her out of her coat, holding out her chair for her to sit, He answered all her questions, talked her through what was expected of her should she take the job. As they ate lunch the conversation drifted away from work and became more personal, both asking about each other's personal lives. Frankie was surprised to hear Boyd was married, there was no ring adorning his finger to indicate he was attached in any way. Boyd was equally surprised to find out Frankie was single, a young and good-looking woman like her should have them tripping over themselves to date her. Frankie turned scarlet as his comment. Frankie wasn't used to male attention, she was just one of the lads on a daily basis.

When they were finished eating Boyd paid for the meal even though Frankie protested. As he said, it was his idea to have lunch so he should pay. Boyd walked her back to the university, thanking her for both lunch and accepting his job proposal. Frankie smiled at him before she turned to walk up the steps into the university. When she reached the doors leading into the building she stopped and turned to see him still stood watching her, the backdrop of the busy university fading away as she focused on Boyd. His grey-brown floppy hair blowing in the wind, part of his face covered as it wiped across his eyes. She could see herself falling for a guy like him, tall, broad shoulders and dashing smile. Yet he was now her boss so he was off-limits.

When she left the team she was a little hurt he hadn't asked her to stay, or at least asked her why she was leaving. Then again she presumed he knew, he knew her well enough to know how she thought and felt. Their brief time together had been a wild ride, both literally and figuratively. The sex was amazing, yet so was the walks along the beach, the few and far between quite nights spent curled up with him as they listen to the sea outside the cottage they stayed in. She wasn't surprised when he ended it when he walked away from what they had started. Not that that made it hurt any less of course. What had started out as fun had ended with her falling in love with him. Reaching across her desk she picked up the worn leather frame, the picture inside now starting to fade with natural light. They both looked so young, so happy. Running her finger over the image she gave a weak smile, she needed to go and see him, see for her own eyes he was okay.

It was three days later when she finally managed to get away from work early, making her way through London on the bus to find herself stood outside the big brick building. She had briefly spoken to Spencer the day before, found out Boyd had been cleared of all charges and he had been reinstated. Making her way down the stairs leading to her old workplace memories of the past, of Mel, of Boyd overwhelmed her. She fought against the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes, against the tide of emotions that coursed through her. Stopping at the double doors leading into the squad room she took a deep breath squaring her shoulders, she could do this. Pushing the doors open she stepped into the empty squad room, her eyes automatically going to the desk that was once Mels. Her bubbly, happy, blue-eyed best friend who's light was extinguished far too soon. Nothing had changed, the room looking exactly as it had when she last left it. The only light illuminating the room came from his office, the yellow glow seeping through the half-closed blinds. She could just make out his silhouette sat at his desk as she expected, his head hung as he looked at something in his hands. As she walked towards the office door she felt her heart rate increase, her palms become sweaty and her throat became dry. She was nervous, like a teenager on her first date. Boyd was the only person that could still make her feel that way, even after all this time. Wiping her palm on her jeans she reached out and turned the door handle, the door opening inwards as she saw Boyd look up at her.

Stepping inside she shut the door and looked over at Boyd smiling. He hadn't changed, his face not giving away how he felt or what he was thinking.

"Hi, Boyd." She managed to say, looking over his face at the scratches and scrapes.

Boyd was silent, blinking a couple of times before he placed the item he had been fiddling with down on his desk.

"Frankie." His only word as he went to stand up.

Frankie took a step closer and looked at the small black leather and silver item on Boyd's desk, his freshly returned warrant card.

"How are you?" Frankie enquired as she stepped up to his desk and stopped opposite him.

"Frankie." Her name again being the only thing he said.

"Yeah that's me, or it was last time I checked." Trying to lighten the silence that surrounded them both.

"I know, I just, I never thought, " Boyd's words making no sense as he moved out from behind his desk until he was stood in front of Frankie.

"Glad you said that, Boyd." Stepping closer so they were practically toe to toe.

Their eyes locked as Frankie slowly reached up and let her hand hover beside Boyd's face, her finger slowly stroking over the scratches where he had been kicked. Frankie felt the warm tingle spread from her fingertips down her arm and across her chest. His beard felt soft as she cupped his cheek and chin, the short bristles that made him look more appealing than he had before. Boyd closed his eyes as he tilted his head and leaned into her palm. He had missed seeing her face, hearing her voice, her touch, more than he thought he would. Yet here she was, standing in front of him after walking away from the job, the team, from him.

Frankie lowered her hand slowly, Boyd opening his eyes as he again sought out the dark brown of Frankie's eyes. He wanted to ask her how she was, what she was doing now, what had brought her back, yet he just stood licking his lips not knowing what to ask first.

"I heard what happened and wanted to check on you, make sure you were okay. Just because I left doesn't mean I stopped caring about the team, about you." Shifting to her right so she could reach for his warrant card. "So you're back full time now?" Holding out the small leather wallet for him to take.

Boyd took it and folded it shut before opening his jacket and slipping it into the inside pocket where he always kept it. Straightening his jacket he looked back at Frankie and smiled, holding out his hand as he indicated towards the couch at the side of his office. Frankie took the hint and they walked the three steps together before sitting down side by side.

"I considered throwing it all in. Riding off into the subset and all that crap." Boyd said as he sat back and turned to face Frankie.

Frankie couldn't help but laugh at his comment, a mental image of Boyd riding a bicycle up the motorway coming to mind.

"What's funny?" Boyd asked as he watched Frankie.

"You on a bike riding up the motorway. Not really your style though neither is throwing all this away. " Both of them glancing around the office as she spoke.

"Yeah well, you can only get set up so many times before you consider throwing in the towel. Anyway, what's wrong with riding off into the sunset? I could happily stay at the coast, maybe in a small cabin. Listening to the sound of the sea as I sat on the decking under the stars. Taking long walks through the woods, picnicking under a huge oak tree as I let the world pass me by." Smiling widely as he saw Frankie start to smile.

"Those days were pretty good weren't they." Frankie getting a dreamy look on her face as she spoke.

"That they were. I miss them, and the company." Making sure he was looking directly at Frankie as he said the last part.

"Things have changed, we've changed." Frankie again reaching up to run her finger over the scrape on Boyd's cheekbone.

Boyd couldn't help the shiver that ran through him as Frankie gently touched his cheek. Without thinking he raised his hand and took Frankie hand in his, bringing it slowly towards his lips so she had the chance to pull away if she wanted to. Frankie didn't stop him, she let him kiss her knuckles before he turned her hand over and kissed her palm before kissing the inside for her wrist.

"Boyd." She managed to say rather huskily as he kept hold of her hand.

"Frankie." Boyd replied as he shifted so there was no space between them on the couch.

"We agreed not to do this, not to dwell on what we had." Frankie pointed out as she tried to take her hand back from his grasp.

"Things have changed as you quite rightly pointed out. We aren't those people anymore, you don't report to me, I'm not your boss anymore." Leaning closer to Frankie until he could feel her breath against his lower face.

"Pete." Was all Frankie said before she felt his lips on hers, his tongue parting her lips to gain entry to her mouth.

The kiss wasn't rushed, both of them surprised how well they still fitted together. It was Boyd who eventually broke the kiss and rested their foreheads together.

"Maybe we should take this somewhere else, like your flat, or even my house." Her lips still kiss swollen as she grinned up at him.

"Then what? I don't want to make the same mistake twice." Frankie knowing she was dooming them before they even tried.

"Neither do I. I let you go once, not planning on doing it again if I can help it." Understanding why Frankie was so apprehensive to take that leap again. "How about we go home, I'll cook, then we can talk about where we go from here?" Taking her hand in his as he nudged her nose with his one.

"Okay then." Frankie finally replied after what felt like an eternity to Boyd.

Boyd grinned like a school kid, maybe getting kicked in the head, drugged, then accused of hit and run only to be proved innocent wasn't so back after all. If it ended up with Frankie back by his side then it was definitely a good ending to a horrible week.


End file.
